Corset



S. B. FERRIS.

Corset.

No. 231,414. Patented Aug. 24,1880.

N-PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER was-ammo". n cy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

SHERWOOD B. FERRIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CORSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 231,414, dated August 24, 1880.

Application filed January 29, 1880. m

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Snnnwooi) B. FERRIS, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Oorset, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is, first, to provide a corset that will fit more closely and neatly to the wearers body; secondly, to provide a secure and easily-operated fastcnin g for the front of the corset; thirdly, to arrange an abdominal supporter in connection with the corset, so that the weight of the said supporter will be supported from the shoulders, and otherwise improve the construction of the corset, as will be more fully set forth farther on in the specification.

My invention consists, first, in forming the corset with serpentine sections of equal width throughout interposed between the front and back portions of both sides of the corset; secondly, of a fastening composed of a swinging or hinged flap or plate attached to the edge of one of the fronts of the corset and a recess formed in the other or opposite front for the reception of the hinged or swinging flap or bar; thirdly, of stiffening sections placed over the laced openings at or near the waist-line of the corset; fourthly, of abdominal supporting-straps passing from the lower part of the front of the corset,-on both sides, upward and around to the back of the corset, so as to sustain the supporter from the shoulders of the wearer 5 lastly, the invention consists in details of improvements in the construction and arrangement of the corset that will be fully described in connection with the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved corset. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the front of the corset, taken on line 0 c of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are inner and outer side views of the corset. Fig. 5 represents one of the front edges of the corset, showing part of the fastening attachment. Fig. 6 represents the op posite front edge of the corset and the other part of the fastening attachment. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 6, taken on line 00 00, showing the pocket, and in connection therewith the flap part of the fasteningattachment shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an end view of the two parts of the fastener when joined together, and Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of Figs. 5 and 6, taken 011 line 00 00.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the front of the corset, and B the back. and back of each half of the corset are in part made of serpentine sections a, which are arranged to extend from the front to the back in a diagonal line downward and forward, so that their lower ends, 0, will be forward of the hips; or their position may be reversed, so that their upper ends will be in front and the lower ends will be back of the hips and between the hips and the extreme back of the corset. In either case the sections a, each of which has parallel sides, occupy such a position with relation to the front and back of the corset as to make the corset conform more nearly to the shape of the body and to sit closer and more neatly to the figure than when the sections between the front and back are in vertical or other straight lines in whole or in part.

Iprefer to have the sections a cut on the bias, and it is my purpose to have one, two, three, or more of said sections interposed between the back and front A B in the manner described.

0 is one part or side of the fastening for the front of the corset, and D is the other part or side of said fastening. The part 0 is composed of a flexible plate of steel, f, or one or more bones, wholly or partly contained in sheath g, which is stitched to the edge h, (or sheet metal may be used having holes along its edge, through which it may be stitched to the said edge,) so that the said plate f is hinged at or near the edge h.

Part D is composed of a flap, 5, made stiff, as desired, with horn, bone, wood, or other stiffening material stitched at or near edge h. The upper free edge of flap t is joined to the corset by the piece j, which may be either stiff or flexible, and at the bottom end it is sewed directly to the corset on the edges, so as to form a pocket, 1. Between the platet' and the adjacent side of the corset is formed an upright recess, m, Fig. 9, for the reception of the plate f.

The mode of connecting the two parts is as follows: When the corset is placed on the body The front and the front edges, h h, are drawn together, the part O is lapped over I), then the upper end of the plate f is inserted under the connecting-piece j, and the said plate is pushed up and at the same time placed behind the flapt' in the upright recess m. \Vhen the plate fis well in the recess m and its lower end is sufiiciently high to clear the top of the pocket I, it is pushed downward. This movement causes its lower end to enter the pocket I. as shown in Fig. 7. hen the plate f is placed in the recess m it is parallel to the flap 1', as shown. In this way a lapjoint is formed by the plate f and flap 'i. This joint, owing to the curvature of the plate and flap, and also to the pressure of the body against them when the corset fits the figure closely, af ords of itself an eflicient and secure fastening for the front of the corset, as the bending of the plate and flap when lapped together, combined with the pressure, produces suflicient friction between the plate and flap to hold them together. In addition to the frictional fastening, the pocketl holds the plate f and prevents it from turning and slipping out of the recess. A similar mode of fastening may be applied to other parts of the corset, such as the bust-openings E, as shown in Fig. 2. In one of the flaps of these openings is formed one or more recesses, a, by stitching the ends and one edge of the linen cover of one ormore stiffening-pieces, F, to the outer side of said flap, and to the inner side of the opposite flap is stitched one edge of a snnilar stiffeningpiece, I).

The unstitched edge of piece I) swings free, and when the opening E is to be closed the piece I) is doubled back parallel to the flap to which it is attached and inserted in the desired recess a, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the said flaps are securely fastened together, and the outward pressure exerted when the corset is on the body serves to press the sides of the recess against the piece I), and thereby prevent the said piece from slipping out of the same. For a nursing-corset this mode of closing the bust-openings is particularly convenient.

In addition to the fastenings f 1" above described, if thought necessary, a cord, F, may be used. This cord may be attached to that side of the front of the corset which has the recess m by passing it through eyelets back of the said recess and tying it permanently in place. In the other side of the front an eyelet, 01, may be provided close to the edge h, and when the fastening is made bypassing the plate f into the recess m, the cord F can be passed through the eyelet d and tied, there by additionally fastening the two sides of the front of the corset together.

F is a laced slit in the upper part of the corset. Under or behind this slit is placed a stiff section, G, fastened by its ends to the corset above and below the slit F so as to cover it, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3.

This stiff section G may be placed either behind the opening F as shown, next to the person of the wearer, so as to protect the body from the binding effect of the lacing, or it may be placed outside over the lacing, so as to prevent the lacing from showing through the dress. It may also be used either outside or inside without the lacing, as a cover for the opening. The said stiff section, in addition to the uses above mentioned, gives additional support to the body at this part of the corset.

II H are serpentine sheaths formed on both sides in the body of the corset, and extending diagonally from the back of the corset at the shoulder-blade portion at n downward and forward to the front of the corset. In these sheaths are placed straps I I, the upper ends, 0, whereof maybe attached to the shoulderhlade portion 11 of the corset by lacings passed through suitable eyelets in the straps and the corset; or they may be attached to the back portions of the shoulder-straps J J bylacings passed through suitable eyelets, or by any other suitable devices; or the said straps may be passed over the shoulders and fastened at the front.

The lower ends, 7, of straps I hang from the sheaths II at the front of the corset, and are provided with suitable buckles or other devices to facilitate their attachment to other straps.

The purpose of straps I is to furnish supports for an abdominal supporter, and the peculiar manner of attaching the said straps to the corset is adapted to cause the said straps to draw close to the body of the wearer, and also,when the abdominal supporter is attached, to have the weight of said supporter directly upon the shoulders instead of on the lower part of the corset, which would draw it out of form.

Instead of formic g a sheath, H, for the straps I, a receptacle may be formed for them by means of tapes laid crosswise and fastened at the ends. Under these tapes the straps will be passed in the same manner as through the sheaths H.

K K are cars depending from the bottom edge of the corset on both sides, at or near the hips. These ears are provided with buttons or other suitable devices for the attachment of stocking supporters and for other similar purposes. By this arrangement the supporters can be easily and quickly attached.

Cords r are inserted in the body of the corset, which extend from at or near the ears K in a curved line through the shoulder-straps, so that any weight suspended at the ears draws upon the shoulders.

The locking-plates f in front, instead of being made in one continuous piece, may be divided into sections, each section being made to operate as described with reference to the complete plates, and the plates f may be made to slide in their sheaths to facilitate their i ntroduction into the pockets 1.

It will be readily seen that by these fasteners the use of projecting buttons or clasps is entirely dispensed with, and the pressure produced by them against the body of the wearer and their injurious effect upon superposed garments is entirely avoided.

A corset constructed as above described is reversible, and can be easily closed, when worn, from either side. In this case it may be finished on both sides with equal care, to render it possible to expose either side to the front.

I claim- 1. A corset having its body constructed in part of narrow serpentine sections a, having parallel sides and reaching from the top to the bottom and from the front to the back of the corset, substantially as herein shown and de scribed.

2. The fastening device composed of the longitudinally-flexible but laterally-stifl' section or plate f, hinged at or nearone edge, h, of the corset, and extendingfrom the upper to the lower end thereof, in combination with the flexible flap 6 at or near the opposite edge h of the corset, and arranged to form a recess, m, for the reception of the plate f, and a means of closing the corset from end to end, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The fastening attachment composed of the plate f in sheath 9, in combination with the plate or flap 1', attached to the edge h and arranged to form a recess, m, and pocket I, for the reception of the plate f, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The straps J, in combination with the plates f i and pocket 1, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The cords F, in combination with the plate f, plate or flap i, and with the part it of the corset, which is provided with the eyelet d, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the opening E, the stiffening-pieces F, forming recesses 61/ in one flap of said opening, and the hinged laterallyinflexible stiffening b, attached to the other flap of the said opening, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. In combination with a corset having the laced slit F which is closed at both ends, the stifi covering-piece G, secured to the corset above and below said slit, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. The corset provided with straps I, having fastening devices 12, which straps extend diagonally from the front of the corset upward to the back, and are adapted to be connected at their upper ends with the upper end of the corset or with the shoulder-straps, to serve as attachments for an abdominal supporter, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. The corset provided with the serpentine sheaths H for the straps I, substantially as herein shown and described.

SHERWOOD B. FERRIS.

Witnesses:

ToMPsoN B. MOSHER, WILLY G. E. SCHULTZ. 

